Richard Edward Dyer – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Bergamot

Stoker 1^st Class Richard Edward Dyer – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Bergamot

Family Background and Early Life

Richard Dyer and Emily Rachel Evans
marriage certificate
St. Mary's Church, Swansea

Richard Edward Dyer was born in 1893 in Swansea, the son of Richard Dyer and Emily Rachel (née Evans), who were married in 1883 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Dyer family were residing at Old Road, Cockett, Swansea. Richard Dyer senior, aged 50 and born in Devon, was employed as a general labourer, while his Hampshire-born wife Emily was 38. Their children were Emily (17), a charwoman; Arthur (16), a riser in the tin works; Percy (12); Richard Edward (8); John (5); Sarah (4); and Albert (3).

1911 Census

Emily Rachel Dyer died in 1910, and by the time of the 1911 Census the family had moved to Swansea Road, Waunarlwydd. Richard Dyer senior, now a widower aged 50, was employed at the steel works. His children still living at home included Percy (22), also employed at the steel works; Martha (20); Richard Edward (18); John (15), both working in the tin works; Annie (14); Albert (13); Samuel (8); and Mary (7).

Naval Service

Royal Navy Records

Richard Edward Dyer enlisted in November 1915 and served with the Royal Navy as a Stoker 1^st Class. In this role, he worked in the ship’s boiler rooms and engine spaces, maintaining propulsion under extreme heat and physically demanding conditions. Stokers were essential to keeping warships operational, particularly during extended patrols and in hostile waters where the risk of enemy attack was ever present.

H.M.S. Bergamot and Her Loss

H.M.S. Bergamot was a British Royal Navy sloop, completed in 1917 by Armstrong Whitworth. She displaced approximately 1,290 tons, measured 262 feet in length, and was powered by triple-expansion steam engines producing 2,800 indicated horsepower, giving her a top speed of 17 knots. Her armament included two 4-inch guns and one 12-pounder, making her capable of both escort and anti-submarine duties.

During the First World War, Bergamot operated as a Q-ship, a decoy vessel disguised as a merchant ship and intended to lure German submarines to the surface before engaging them. This role was exceptionally dangerous, as it relied on deception and exposed crews to sudden and devastating attack.

On 13 August 1917, while operating in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 70 miles west-north-west of Ireland, Bergamot was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-84. Her official complement was 98 officers and men. The attack resulted in the loss of the ship and a number of her crew, including Stoker 1^st Class Richard Edward Dyer.

Death and Commemoration

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

The British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records confirm that Richard Edward Dyer lost his life on 13^th August 1917 following the sinking of H.M.S. Bergamot.

Richard Edward Dyer
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

With no known grave, he is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours sailors of the Royal Navy who died at sea during the First World War. His death reflects the perilous nature of Q-ship operations and the vital but often overlooked contribution of engine-room ratings to Britain’s naval war effort.